Boost To Tourism: 137 Mountain Peaks Across Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal And Sikkim To Be Opened To Foreigners

In a move that will boost the lucrative adventure tourism industry in the country, the government has decided to open 137 peaks across four states for foreign tourists.

Foreign tourists can now apply for the Mountaineering Visa (‘MX’) for mountaineering and trekking trips over these peaks located in the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

The list includes 15 peaks from Jammu & Kashmir, while the highest number of peaks to be opened, 51, are from Uttarakhand. Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim are to open 47 and 24 peaks for mountaineering and trekking respectively.

The states can now register adventure tourism operators for these spots. Adventure tourism has been a focus area for the Tourism Ministry which attracts a large number of foreign travellers to the country.

The Ministry had issued Adventure Tourism Guidelines in 2018 that cover land, air and water-based activities which includes mountaineering and trekking.